Moving is terrible. Humans are creatures of habit, and moving means living out of boxes, terrifying your pets and trying new takeaway places.
However, unless you are prepared to live forever in whatever part of the world you were born in, moving is something we have to do.
The experience of moving can be made radically more or less pleasant, depending on how you approach it. Here are our top five must-do tips to make the transition as agreeable as possible:
1. Start Throwing Things Away
As with many things, the earlier you start, the more fun you’ll have. Moving – whether it’s an apartment, an office or an entire house – is a chance to assess the vast piles of stuff you have accumulated since the last time you moved.
Now is a good time to cast a critical eye over your belongings. You will shortly have to physically move everything you own at least twice, so use that metric when deciding if you really want to keep it.
If you start early, you have the time to donate, sell or pass off to friends without creating pressure on yourself. Doing that work now means you actually want everything you bring to your new place.
2. There’s An App For That
Get organised. It doesn’t matter whether you’re using pen and paper, or printing out QR codes for all your boxes; as long as you’re collecting information somewhere outside of your head.
Apart from all the real estate details, and the list of everything you own and what box it’s in, you’ll need to keep track of a few more things. Make a list of every organisation you’ll need to update your address with. Figure out if you need to change utilities. Most councils will provide you with a New Residents pack; get one.
Keep all of these notes and lists in one place; have a place to write down new ideas as they occur to you.
3. Begin Packing Early
If you’re two months away from moving, now is a perfect time to start packing. A large number of your possessions are things you only need some of the time. Take advantage of this by boxing up out-of-season clothes, and the books you only keep there to impress people.
4. Stop Buying Groceries
About a week before you move, don’t buying groceries. Try to eat your way through as many perishables you can; you have to defrost the freezer anyway, so get a head start on cleaning.
5. Pack a Bag
When your life is divided up into many many boxes, it’s hard to feel your best. Pretend you’re going on a holiday and pack everything you’d need for several days into a carry-on suitcase. This includes essentials – medication, underpants and toiletries – but also little luxuries like a hair-straightener or e-reader. It’ll make a huge difference to have these items to hand.
Those are out five best tips for moving, but our secret, bonus tip? Take the stress out of moving and call Affordable Removals.
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